Ideas for Impact |
What kinds of churches can we become?
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At every church there are many opportunities to learn and be involved. There are weekly, monthly and yearly activities and events. So here is an interesting question to ponder. A month or a year from now, or maybe 10 or 20 years from now, which things will I feel had the greatest positive impact on my life? Which things helped me the most to grow spiritually?
From a "how do people learn" point of view, I think activities that include these things will have the greatest impact. ENGAGEMENT Active engagement in learning will be better than passive learning. Active engagement includes things like reading, thinking, group discussion, answering questions, asking questions, explaining something to others, and using what I learned in real life. GUIDED PRACTICE We rarely learn to do anything well by only doing it once. It is really useful if we try something, get feedback on how to improve, and then try it again and again. RELATIONSHIP Discipleship happens in the context of healthy, positive, challenging relationships. High expectations and high support at the same time. So what kinds of things might have the greatest impact? Engagement: Camps, retreats, mission trips, Vacation Bible School, being on a sports team, small groups and leading or helping to lead a class or ministry. Guided Practice: Saying a memory verse over and over for several months. Practice explaining the gospel not once, but 40 times. Reading the Bible daily and picking out verses that stand out to you as opposed to only reading the Bible on Sunday in the worship service. Relationship: Sunday School classes and small groups that are intentional to spend time together getting to know one another in addition to "class" time. When a "coach" helps someone learn by giving them individual attention and support. As we look for ways that our church can help people grow spiritually as they follow Jesus, lets think about increasing engagement and practice and being more relational. We are just beginning to read and discuss Canoeing the Mountains. I still have a couple of books if you would like to join us for lunch and discussions of each chapter.
The basic ideas is this: Lewis and Clark began on a canoeing trip and they had to change their approach to become mountain climbers. 30, 40 and 50 years ago, many pastors went to seminary and began their ministry thinking it was going to be one way and then the culture of America changed and now leading a church requires a different set of leadership skills. Are we as pastors willing to learn and change? Are we able to train and coach our church members to do ministry in a world that is increasingly indifferent to the Bible and even hostile toward Christian churches. We are not always pastors to a large group of families who want their family to be in church on Sunday morning. As an older generation of Americans pass away, pastors now have to be missionaries to a younger generation that didn't grow up in church, doesn't know anything about the Bible and doesn't have a habit of attending church. Most things don't happen overnight.
"Kids" at the Olympics. People amaze the world when they are only 18 or 22 years old. They weren't born with this gift. They trained and trained for countless hours since they were 6 or 8 years old. They were willing to swim hours and hours in a pool. They were disciplined enough to run and run for hours every day in the wind, the heat and the cold. Successful business people, speakers, writers, actors, singers, and artists usually don't happen overnight. They were willing to get up early and practice hours every day in order to gain excellence. The "average" American has college debt, credit card debt, and very little savings. Many people approach retirement without the savings they will need to live out their years without a full-time job. If a person isn't average in their finances, it usually means they were willing to make sacrifices and delay gratification for many years. How do people grow spiritually? How do churches grow and reach people? It's because they are willing to do things that others are not willing to do. Noah was willing to build the ark. Abraham left his country by faith. Joseph had integrity. Moses overcame his fear. A Christian can choose to do things that aren't easy. They can read the Bible every day. They can forgive and ask for forgiveness. They can pray for their enemies. They can serve others instead of being served. A church can give their time and talents to build up the next generation. Married people can reach out to college students and single adults. People who are comfortable sitting in their favorite pew can get up and go sit beside a guest. Churches can organize their efforts to serve people who need help. Pastors can train new leaders and let them shine. Retired people can use their free time to volunteer. What are you willing to do that others are not willing to do? 1. The history of our life is kind of like a bowl of spaghetti noodles. Our life touches many others and many people touch our life. On the battlefield of life, fear is contagious and bravery is contagious.
2. Most of us feel inferior at some point. If I was just taller, or smarter, or richer, or more talented. In I Samuel 16 it says "The Lord looks at the heart." 3. Every person contributes to the flow of history and is important in their own way. People like Washington, Lincoln and Einstein take center stage, but they were raised to adulthood by people who cared for them, fed and clothed them, and taught them. 4. We are loved, chosen and called. I Sam 16:12 "Rise and anoint him." 5. God prepares us. I Sam 16:18 "play the harp ... brave ... warrior ... speaks well ... the Lord is with him." The years he spent being a shepherd to sheep were also preparing him to be a leader of men. 6. God gives us the strength we need. I Sam 16:13 "the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power" 7. God puts us in the right place at the right time. I Sam 17:23 "Goliath ... stepped out ... and shouted his usual defiance and David heard it." There were three types of soldiers - infantry, cavalry and artillery. Goliath was infantry and David was artillery. 8. God uses our unique strengths and weaknesses. I Sam 17:39 "I cannot go in these (coat of armor) ... with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine." 9. God gets the glory when we trust Him. I Sam 17:46 "The world will know that there is a God." Acts 13:36 "David served God's purpose in his own generation." We are learning some new things about how people learn during this pandemic.
Can school kids learn just as well online as they do in a classroom? If not, why? If so, why and how? What about church members? Our church culture often focuses on members attending church and Sunday School on Sunday morning and hearing the teaching and preaching. There may not be any way to accurately answer this question - but we wonder how many church members read the Bible during the week, or mainly rely on what they hear on Sunday. Our goal would be to encourage reading the Bible at home as well. I observed two strategies to increase learning related to preaching. 1. Some pastors email church members during the week and ask them to read the scripture ahead of time before they come or listen online on Sunday. This helps develop a habit of reading at home and stimulates their thinking and questions about the coming sermon on Sunday. 2. At the end of the sermon, some pastors/churches provide several discussion questions for individuals, families and small groups to consider and discuss. The pastor might talk about these discussion questions or post them in the bulletin or online. I think it would be valuable for many Christians to experience this increased engagement every week.
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AuthorGarry Goodin is the Executive Director of the Mid-State Baptist Association Archives
April 2024
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